Bar-Ilan University - one of Israel's premier institutes of higher learning - recently established a special chair dedicated to the teachings of the late Talmudic great, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik. According to a university press release, the project will focus on a systematic comparison of Rabbi Soloveitchik's philosophy with European thought, especially in the areas of phenomenology and existentialism. It is hoped that the chair will provide a fresh analysis of Rabbi Soloveitchik's place in modern thought, a study of its educational implications, and a study of his theology. The Chair was established by Mr.and Mrs. Friedman of Jerusalem. The 96-year-old Mr. Friedman was, in his youth, one of Rabbi Soloveitchik's students.
In related news, university President Prof. Moshe Kaveh headlined the recent "Edah" Conference on Modern Orthodoxy in New York City, speaking to over 1,200 people. He received an enthusiastic reception and widespread Jewish media coverage in New York. Prof. Kaveh's "manifesto" for Modern Orthodox society includes the following "commandments": emphasize human relations, teach Judaism and Democracy together, promote "Klal Yisrael" ("the People of Israel") as a religious concept, establish new halachic (Jewish legal) attitudes towards secular Jews, pursue socio-economic justice, Jewish recommitment to the Land of Israel, and more.
In related news, university President Prof. Moshe Kaveh headlined the recent "Edah" Conference on Modern Orthodoxy in New York City, speaking to over 1,200 people. He received an enthusiastic reception and widespread Jewish media coverage in New York. Prof. Kaveh's "manifesto" for Modern Orthodox society includes the following "commandments": emphasize human relations, teach Judaism and Democracy together, promote "Klal Yisrael" ("the People of Israel") as a religious concept, establish new halachic (Jewish legal) attitudes towards secular Jews, pursue socio-economic justice, Jewish recommitment to the Land of Israel, and more.